Tumbling device for electroplating



Mawh 1932. H. D. SIMPSON ING DEVICE FOR ELECTROPLATING TUMBL 2Sheets-Sheet Filed Jan. 29 1929 I INVENTOR ATTORNEY? March 8, 1932. I S1,848,393

TUMBLING DEVICE FOR ELECTROPLATING Filed Jan. 29, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented" Mar. 8,- 1932,

' metal upon. articles :made of another metal,-

plating; 4

HARRISON n. SIMPSON, ornnwenn nnw JERSEY, AssIGnoRfBY mnsnn'jassion-MENTS; TO BAKER &

TUMVBLING DEVICE non ELEGTROPLATING a plication filed anuar 29,1929.Serial n; 335,890..

' i This inventionrelates to apparatusused in electrically depositing, acoating of one the process being commonly-called electro':

The present invention specially .priate for depositing the more/preciousmete als, asgoldyplatinum, etc,,'-upon smalli objects, such [as fingerrings',*i;buttons, medals and like articles of vjewelry made ofleissvaluabl'e material. a

small unit comprising: a fsubstantially-nonmetallic container for thearticles to be plat ed, thus presenting a minimum 7 of metallic surfaceto takeadeposit from the chemical solution held in the t ank in whichthe con-t. taine'rfis submerged, and the tank is also na- 1teriallyreduced in size from that commonly 9 employed;

i-One object of the inventionis Mata a barrel container made in twoequal longitu dinal parts which may be easily" and expedltiously unitedor separated; thus rendering 'the contents readily entered andaccessible,-

and in which the few metal parts areremovable forreplacement' andrefining to recoverthe plating which'may have been deposited;

' A further feature is in the means for sup porting the barrelandconveying rotary niotion to it without permitting workingmetallioparts to enter the bath.

Another purpose 1s to a provide forcurrent voltage measurement in thebarrel rather than at the lead-in conductor so that the true conditionof thecurrent at its'point of application can be; ascertained. g V

' These and analogousobjects, whichiwill presently appear, are,accomplished by the novel construction, combination and arrange-' mentof parts, hereinafter described and shown in the accompanying" drawings,con

of disclosure,

Figure Sis a samepartially broken away to show the formationflj i UFigure 4 is a plan view of one side of the barrel;

Figure; 5' is a similar view showing the other side thereof.

*As shown in F igure the apparatus consists'of a platform base 10'having'twouprights 3.1,pref'erably of-ohannelcross section, V e0 posedongthebase is a-tank'l3, of anypre-H fer-red shape, and: capable'ofcontaining .the chemicalsolutionor bathbywwhich plating 1 united atthe top by a cross bar =l2,and disiscaccomplished;

Rotatablyinounted in the uprights, 1l, just below the crossbar 12, is. ashaftl l its Vex tending ends being 4 respectively :provided withagcollar and manually operable han- Fixed to the are the endsiof two]spacedapart flexible cords l6 capable of beingwound thereon, their freeends engaging in eyes set in. a narrow platform 17 guided at its endswithin the -inreaching uprights 11'. r

v In order to support theweight, of the plat flanges of the form andelements carried by it, a ratchet wheellS is fiXed'on the shaft 14 andprovided with a detent 19 arrangedpto be turned out of the way whennotrequired.

Mounted on the platform 17 is a motor 20,

driving, by means of a belt 21,a speed reduc tion device 22, thedrivenpulley 23 ofwhich conveys a relativelylslow rotary motion, by cthe belt 24: and pulley 25, toa shaft 26 mounted in a doublebracket27held suspendedfrom thelunder side of the platform 17.

Held against the lower face of the bracket 27. is a barf28', adjustablelengthwise there along and fclampe d by a pair of binding,

screws :29.

uAisimilar is held manner-by the same screws and interposed therebetweenisa stripofinsulation 3l. v i Both bars-28 30 are bent] at right. anglesdownwardly at' th eir outer ends and fixed to these ends are lugs32 and'34 respectively, the c lugs being drilled and clamp screws 33 and 35.

provided with hand These screws impinge upon rods36 andti'i,

Fixed on the pintles are grooved pulleys 39 driven by belts 40 fromcorresponding pulle S 41 on the opposite ends of the shaft 26, w icli',as has been seen, is driven at'a slo rate of speed by the motor 20.

It may be stated, here that the rods'36 37-v'v merely maintain thebelts40iin suitable driving tension and do not act as supports for thebarrel, the weight of whic-h is taken by the belts.

The tumbling barrel, shown in detail in Figures 2 to 5, includes a pairof semi-cylindrical heads 42-43 at each end, each having outstandingsemi-conical projecting ends." 'I'he half heads 42 have fixed axially inthem the pintles 38, carrying the pulleys 39,

and are grooved annularly to engage the ends of the rods 3637 by whichthey are 'uided. "'The opposite half heads 43 have fixed in them hal'fbushings or sleeves 44 toireceii e the exposed portions of the pintles38 therein,

the face portions ofthe heads making i-nti mate'contact when the barrelis assembled. These half; heads, which are preferably made of wood orsome other non-metallic marelsections. I

Y thebinding screw 33.

terial, are held when assembled by bands 45 forced overthe conicalportions of the heads% 7 these bands being relatively narrow and 0 suchdiameter as topermit the entrance of a lever bar between them and theirflanged portions when itis desired to disconnect the bar- The flangedportions of the half heads have attached to them semi-cylindrical,perforate casings 46.47, through which li uid may easily flow, thesecasings, like the eads be ing non-metallic. Y Fixed-on the innersurfaces of the heads 42,

to extend in opposite directions, are con-'- ductor strips 48 connected"at their ends by wires 49 arranged sinuously against the easing 46, thestrips being in contact'with the pintles 38. I

In a similar manner corresponding, strips 50, in contact with thesleeves 44, extend through the casing to be connected bya wire Ii Withinthe tanks 13 are any preferred number of anodes 5253, receiving currentfrom a "lead-in wire 54, connected by a wire 55 to TA voltmeter 59is'shunted between the positive and negative linewires tomeasure thepotential before entering the apparatus, and anammeter 58 is connectedbetween the binding screw 35 and the lead-out wire 57 to 4 measure thecurrent passing through the entire circuit. I I Anothervoltmeter 56, isconnected in the circuit by a wire 55, connected to the positive:

circuit, and by another wire tothe contact screw 33, the current passingthrough binding post 32, rod 36, pintle 38, to the contact wires 48 and49, which are in the negative circuit. The object of this secondvoltmeter is to measure the drop in potential between the 1 rod 37, andthe pintle 38, which is readily certained, by comparing it withvoltmeter 59. Thus the? efiectivevoltage between the age a? t ci flt lsta quality of heden inall plating work. I

In operation. the bars 2830 are adjusted to suit the length of thebarrel to be used, the barrel. supplied with;the articles to be platedand thereafter firmly secured by the bands 45, whereupon they areadjusted as plainly indicated in Figure l.

"By'lowering the platform 17 and its several'attachedparts,by turningthe handle 15, the barrel with its contents 1s easil' y lowcred so thatits lower portion enters below the surface of-the plating bath. Y

U on s'tartingthe motor 20, the barrel wil! be slowly rotjated,'causing,its contents be subjectedto-the' bath and an electric current ofsuitable voltage passed through the articles to 'deposit'a coatingof anydesired degree in accordance with the time period of immers on; a o

- It is to be noted thatthe pintles'38, sleeves 44, and lower endsof-the' conductor bars 36- 37, together with the connections inside thebarrel, only are subjected to possibly receive'a coating, therebyreducing loss of-metal and efficiency to a minimum, and that thelatingmay be recovered from these parts y" means commonly employed.

" "Due "to the, arrangement of: the voltmeter theactual efiective fallof potential at its point of application is readily ascertainedat alltimes. I i i As the barrel is constantlyrotated the resultant effectupon the articles undergoing treatment is unusually" uniform andsatisfactory.

' It, is'further apparent that the sim licity of the apparatus issuchthat no di culty shouldzbeencountered in its operation, even byunskilledlabor.

Although I have, described my improve ments. with 'considerable detailand with respect to certain particular, forms of: my invention, 1 do notdesire tobe limitedlto such details since, may changes and modifications may we'll be made without departing frbin he, S l P a dsc re m n tiQninits hroad estaspect.

lHavil 'thus describedtheinvention, what is clalmec as'new andl'desiredsecure by barrel and having conica'l extensions, the

Walls and heads being split longitudinally to sections as a unit, all ofsaid elements being Wholly composed of con-conducting material, metal,pintles fixed axially in said heads, metalguides for thepintles, saidguides being in an electric circuit, means for conducting currentbetween said pintles through the and rotating the barrel.

3. In an electroplating apparatus, an article heads of said barrel,"metallic guides for the pintles, conductors carried by said heads incontact with the pintles, said conductors onsaid base, a platform guidedby said up 'rights overfthe tank, a perforate tumbling barrelto contain:the articles to be plated,

said barrel being whollymade of nonducting material, a motor drivenshaft on said platform, belts connecting said shaft and barrel endstoconvey rotary motion and supoport'the barrel, a Winchto raise andlower said platform relative to the tank whereby said barrel may beimmersed in plating bath in said tank, anodes in said bath, said anodes,bath and barrel being in series in same electrio circuit, and avoltmeterdisposedin shunt circuit between'anode and barrel. c

In testimonyv whereof I have hereunto alfixed my signature. 7 i

e HARRISON D. SIMPSON.

barrel, and'combined means for supporting container comprising "asectional barrel 7 holly composed of non-conducting material and havingperforate walls, removable means 'for clamping the sections of saidbarrel together, metallic vpintles passing through the I reaching Withinthe barrel from onepintle to the'other, and flexible supports for saidbarrel engaging saidpintles, said supports i i being operative to conveyrotary motion to. 1 the barrel. w

4.; An eleetro-plating apparatus comprising a base having a pair of'uprights,.a tank on said base, a platform guided by said uprights, atumbling barrel for articles to be plated, motor driven means ontheplatform including a belt drive at each endof the barrel tofcause itsrotation, said belt drives acting to supportthe barrel, manual means forraising and lowering the platform and barrel relative 'to-said tank, andmeans forz conducting an'electric current through said tank and barrel.I

s 5. An electro-plating apparatus comprisit ing a base having a pairofuprights, a tank on said base, a platform guided by said uprights overthe tank, aperforate tumbling barrel to contain theartifclestobe'plated, i said barrel being Wholly made of non-conductingmaterial, a' motor driven shaft having supports carriedbysaidplatfor'm,belt

connections between said "shaft and barrel ends, said connectionssupporting the barrel, insulatedflbars on: the shaft-support, guide rodsfor said barrel adjustable in. said bars,

manual means for raising andloweringlthe platform and barrel relative tosaid tank,

, rent through said tank and barrel. I 6; Anelectro-plating apparatuscomprisf ing a base having a'pair of uprights, a tank I and means forconducting an electric cur-

